Written and edited by Norm Scott:
EDUCATE! ORGANIZE!! MOBILIZE!!!
Three pillars of The Resistance – providing information on current ed issues, organizing activities around fighting for public education in NYC and beyond and exposing the motives behind the education deformers. We link up with bands of resisters. Nothing will change unless WE ALL GET INVOLVED IN THE STRUGGLE!

Friday, November 13, 2015

Video: Taking a Stand Against UFT/Unity Attempt to Ban Lit Distribution in Lobby of 52 Broadway

Throughout its history, UFT members have been distributing literature at UFT Delegate Assemblies in the lobbies of the buildings or hotels where they were being held. Since the UFT bought its own building at 52 Broadway, we have been using the lobby. Then at the Nov. 12 2015 DA they ordered us outside. I was handing out a MORE resolution for the meeting on I and others refused to move and challenged them to call the police to have us removed. Our dues pay for that building and we shall not be removed from our own property.

15 comments:

I was wondering how long it would take the "leadership" to start bouncing the opposition out of a building paid for by dues from the rank and file. If you think this is first Mafioso-like attitude and behavior from them especially since NA has joined MORE, wait until next year when the "leadership" will use every machinations possible to juke the election in one form or another. Just when I thought that the GOP's debate showed the level of insanity by those politicians. This video showed that the level of insanity keeps on going. Yesterday's video of their goon-style attack on you is showing their vindictive, underhanded, conniving, and desperate, yes desperate, attempt to continue their "successful failure" as a union leader.

I'm not sure who brought it up, but at the reception following the DA, Gloria from MORE told Mulgrew that this lobby situation was videotaped. Mulgrew said something like "Oh boy!" and rolled his eyes. I told him that Norm even thought he was going to be arrested. Mulgrew said, "No, No! That wouldn't happen." Not sure if he knew about it in advance but he obviously realized it was a BIG mistake!

Glad that Norm videotaped it for all to see. The guy with his hand in Norm's face should lose his UFT position. Big bully.

Maybe someone should tell Unity that the way to win elections is not by bullying members, squashing opposing views, and usurping democracy at every chance you get. The right way to win re-election is to do your job, represent and defend members, and stop selling members out so that they'll want to vote for you.

UFT Unity should be embarrassed by this and they owe Norm an apology. Thank you Norm, for standing your ground!

I would bring back the table with non-official UFT papers and allow for members to watch over so nothing is thrown out. Also thinking that maybe scanning and posting on UFT.org under a title such as "DA Member Distributed Literature Date ##-##-##" so others who are not delegates or chapter readers can also view.

After all, you've shown so much tolerance towards people who disagree with you on anything - even the color of your tie. I may still have all those emails and texts from you whenever I didn't agree with something. As do so many others. And one thing we know about the NY Teacher under Portelos -- 20 pages of pictures of you. Cant wait - I need a new dart board.

I remember that it was LEROY BARR who tried to stop Megan and Peter and others from handing out Leftie lit in the lobby a few years ago, before Barr went from "goon squad leader" to a seat on the dais with The (self) Chosen!...a number of us argued forcibly (like you Norm and Marjorie, well done!) and he and his boys backed off...funny how you never know what role a quizzling will play until he/she is moved like a chesspiece for a "job well done"! Aside from The Loyalty Oath, it is a "given" that ambitious Unity fodder should be prepared to act as "heavies" at the DA's, as well as to take on any number of "support" roles elsewhere. My CL Sean and I were "shadowed" and pressured to be still at a DA where we dared to speak without being "called on"- a woman in a blazer who looked like hotel staff was the "enforcer". We told her to take a flying leap...Anyway, hope this video gets seen by lots of people! It is VERY revealing about UFT Leadership's fear and loathing of alternative, let alone diverse, opinion among rank-and-file membership...

Way to go, Norm! (and Marjorie). I will never forget the mob mentality that Unity demonstrated when you were still handing out printed copies of Ednotes in the late 90s when I was a young chapter leader who still didn't realize Unity was completely full of shit. I was told to ignore you and not read your literature because you were "crazy." I would always accept your literature in my hand and read it while sitting among the Unity crowd at the DA. I had no idea what you were about or if you were indeed crazy or not but I knew then what I still know now--No one censors what I read and people who try to stop others from hearing opposing viewpoints are dangerous to America's core beliefs. You didn't back down. Thank you! Roseanne McCosh

Comments are welcome. Irrelevant and abusive comments will be deleted, as will all commercial links. Comment moderation is on, so if your comment does not appear it is because I have not been at my computer (I do not do cell phone moderating).

UFT Election Vote Comparison: 2004-10

A Personal Historical Perspective

Why Karen Lewis Reads Ed Notes

"A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

What media call "philanthropy" for the public schools are actually seed monies to establish a private "market" in publicly-financed education - an enterprise worth trillions if successfully penetrated by corporate America. Cory Booker, one of the "New Black Leaders" financed by the filthy rich, is key to creating a "nationwide corporate-managed schools network paid for by public funds but run by private managers.

"Ed Reformers" want to cash in on public education and to control its content and outcome, not improve it. Provide great education? Baby boomers had as close as this country has ever gotten to it when we were growing up. The Ed Reform Movement has no interest in seeing such a well-educated, democratically astute population ever again.

History of the UFT Pre-Weingarten Years

This award-winning series of articles by Jack Schierenbeck originally appeared in the New York Teacher in 1996 and 1997.

Naturally, from a certain point of view. But, despite certain biases, Schierenbeck, a great guy, was one of the best NY Teacher reporters so this is worth reading. Jack suffered a debilitating stroke many years ago (I used to get secret donations to ed notes from him through a 3rd source.)

“The schism in the union over radical politics [is] a major reason for stalling the growth of a teacher union for decades.” Revolutionary politics and ideology take center stage, as the original Teachers Union becomes a battlefield, pitting leftist against leftist and splitting the union.

Clarence Taylor's "Reds at the Blackboard" focused on the old Teachers Union which disbanded in 1964 after suffering from anti-left attacks.

Effective Union Organizing

A video series put together by Jason Mann from the British Columbia Federation of Teachers about social media and how to use it for effective union organizing.

The first series was called New Media For Union Activists Roadmap and it's still available on-line at:http://www.newmediabootcamp.ca/welcome/I watched some of them and need to rewatch as they are loaded with information.

The second series started last week and it's called "Online Campaigning for Union Activists"

You Don't Have A Choice - Join the Revolt

Hedges says, There are no excuses left. Either you join the revolt taking place on Wall Street and in the financial districts of other cities across the country or you stand on the wrong side of history.

Ex-Harlem Success Teacher Comments on Eva the Diva

I am a former Harlem Success teacher. Not many people who work/worked for her like her very much. I once made the comment that she is very nice when I first was hired. Two of her closest colleague responded immediately almost in unison, "Eve is not nice!" Over time I realized that there was a lot of political games going on. Another colleague once said to me that he was tired of "being part of a political campaign." Sending out 15,000 applications for only 400 seats in a school is reprehensible. The money that paid for those mass mailings could have paid the yearly salary of another teacher not to mention the heartache of all those parents who applied but did not get a spot. She does good work trying to give disadvantaged students a quality public school education but at a great cost to staff AND the school's educational budget! school budget.

GEM's Julie Cavanagh Debates E4E member on NY1 on LIFO and Seniority

Davis Guggenheim Compared to Riefenstahl

“Waiting for Superman" is the second most intellectually dishonest piece of documentary work I have seen. It is surpassed only by Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will," the pro-Hitler propaganda classic, in that regard. Uses personal narratives of adorable children to create narrative suspense that overrides public policy discussion with pure emotion in unscrupulous attack on teachers and their unions, among others

Timothy TysonProfessor of African American Studies and HistoryDuke University

A Familiar Voice on Unions

"We must close union offices, confiscate their money and put their leaders in prison. We must reduce workers salaries and take away their right to strike"- Adolf Hitler, May 2, 1933

How Teaching Experience Makes a Difference

Even as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee and others around the nation are arguing for experienced teachers to be laid off regardless of seniority, every single study shows teaching experience matters. In fact, the only two observable factors that have been found consistently to lead to higher student achievement are class size and teacher experience, so that it’s ironic that these same individuals are trying to undermine both.- Leonie Haimson on Parents Across America web site

Outsource our children

Weingarten/Gates Foundation announce drone-driven teacher evaluation

According to a press release issued by the Gates Foundation, the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, these three have entered a ground-breaking partnership to evaluate teachers utilizing the drone technology that has revolutionized warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. A bird-size device floats up to 400 feet above a classroom and instantly beams live video of teachers in action to agents at desks at Teacher Quality Inspection Stations established by the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

When asked if the drones were authorized to drop bombs on teachers who exhibit inadequacy, Chester E. Finn, Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, replied, "Don't be ridiculous. Gates money puts other methods at our disposal."

Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.5-million-member American Federation of Teachers said the powerful union has signed on to the drone project...

Teacher Value-Added Data Dumping by Norm Scott

The Real Reason Behind Push for Standardized Tests: It's All About the Adults

On standardized testing in our schools

A must read article about the standardized test industry.Written by an insider who has worked as a test scorer, the article outlines a multinational industry based on an army of temporary workers paid by the piece at $0.30 to $0.70 per test, translated in the need to grade 40 tests per hour to make a $12 salary. The article goes on to show how the companies gauge the grading "results" based on the need to ensure new contracts to continue profiting off of our youth. The original article is from Monthly Review. Here it is on Schools Matter blog.

From Sharon Higgins

Parallels between America today and Germany in the 1920's and early 30's

"Resentment and obstruction are all the right wing in America have to peddle. Their policies are utterly discredited. Their ideology - even by its own standards - is a sham. They are so bereft of leaders, their de facto leader is a former drug addicted, thrice-divorced radio talk show host. That is literally the best they can muster. But they have built a national franchise inciting the downwardly mobile to blame the government, not the right, for their problems, exactly as Hitler did in the 1920s."

Chicago View of Unity/UFT on Charters

After many meetings and debates, the Chicago delegation succeeded in working with the New York United Federation of Teachers, Local 2 (UFT) to push the AFT to take stronger stands on charter school accountability and school closings — though many delegates from Chicago would have liked the language to have been even stronger.

Generally speaking, the New York delegation represented organizing charters as the best model for handling their role in reshaping unions, despite the fact that according to many reports few charter schools in New York have been organized as is the case in Chicago. This logic is the same touted by the Progressive Caucus of the AFT. The few that have been organized are a part of the UFT local though they have separate contracts negotiated with the help of UFT. The Chicago delegation reflection the mindset that allowing new charters to continue to proliferate while attempting to organize existing charters is an end game in which public schools and the union lose.

Ed Notes Greatest Hits: HSA Rally and Founding of GEM

Angel Gonzalez and I attended that rally and used the footage to promote our conference on Mar. 28, 2009, which is where the concept of a group like GEM emerged. Until then we had basically been a committee of ICE working with the NYCORE high stakes testing group. The actions of Eva and crew helped spawn GEM. Mommie Dearest!!

I have more video somewhere. I was hoping to get Leni Riefenstahl to edit it but she died. We would have called it "Triumph of the Hedge Fund Operators."

Video of Chicago's George Schmidt and CORE Shredding Arne Duncan and the Chicago Corporate Model

Great Post on Teacher Quality at the Morton School

I'm very tired of the myth that schools are bursting at the seams with apathetic, unskilled, surly, child-hating losers who can't get jobs doing anything else. I recently figured that, counting high school and college where one encounters many teachers in the course of a year, I had well over 100 teachers in my lifetime, and I can only say that one or two truly had no place being in a classroom.